Runners took to the 26.2 mile race from Hopkinton to Boston on April 17 for the 127th Boston Marathon. As the race goes by campus on Washington Ave Marathon Monday is a day students cheer on runners along the marathon route and celebrate the day in Arnow Quad.
One of the 30,000 runners in this year’s race was adjunct professor Ronni Komarow. Komarow qualified for the race in September 2022 in a race she ran in honor of a friend who passed away from a sudden, aggressive cancer. That friend, along with her students, became a large part of the motivation to run the race.
“I believe that my students are going to come out and cheer for me because I’ve got to get in gear for ‘Heartbreak Hill’. I feel like that’s what was going to get me up that hill, seeing some familiar faces,” said Komarow.
Komarow also wanted to inspire her students with the message of being able to accomplish the impossible. “Maybe there is something there for students to think about as well as they get ready to graduate and go into their careers. I think that something that happens in life is that sometimes you do actually achieve something that’s more than you thought you could do,” said Komarow.
The student experience of the day may look a little different than Komarow’s, but they are all tied together by the same thing: community. First year communications student Jacob Lustig experienced their first Marathon Monday and spoke highly of the energy on campus.
“This was an experience I had been looking forward to for months, and it again beat all expectations and was such a fun day. So many people came together, representing Boston’s love and pride in the marathon,” said Lustig, “It beat expectations and was an all-around great day filled with many memories I’ll carry with me. I never truly knew how close Lasell was to the running route, and it was fun to cheer on the runners and experience my first marathon watching the race.”
The event also calls for plenty of preparation to assure the day goes smoothly, from schoolwork to outfits. Sophomore criminal justice major Ryan Ruane spoke to the work he did to get ready for the marathon. “[There is] definitely a lot of preparation. I was thinking about what to wear on Marathon Monday almost two months before the actual day of the race. I feel that a lot of people like to make it a big event because it’s getting warmer out and close to the end of the semester,” said Ruane.
While many students anticipate the next marathon as soon as the day ends, Monday was the last time seniors experienced the marathon. Because of COVID, the group missed out on earlier marathon experiences, but still made the most of the ones they could attend.
“I usually look forward to being out on the quad with everyone and just running around campus. The hot dogs that are brought [to 1851] are honestly one of my favorite parts. I also love to stop down by the race and watch how supportive everyone is. I’m sad that it won’t be something I can experience again as a college student” said communications major Danielle Pascucci.
Additionally, senior sport management major and men’s lacrosse captain Zach Mills was unable to participate in the event due to practice as well as a 48-hour rule that prevents athletes on the team from partying 48 hours before a game. While Mills was accepting of missing out on the day because of his commitment to helping the team improve, he still believes there is an importance to having events like Marathon Monday on campus.
“Events like Marathon Monday are important to campus life because it allows college students a reset day. Lasell is also a school where many people go home every weekend and days like Marathon Monday keep those students around and share their experiences with friends,” said Mills.